The Northern Colorado Children’s Festival made its debut Saturday in downtown Greeley with a packed house at the Greeley Recreation Center and a ballroom at the DoubleTree by Hilton Greeley at Lincoln Park.
The event moved from its previous location at Island Grove Regional Park to the downtown area to draw more people to Lincoln Park and the surrounding businesses, explained Nicole Quinn, Community Engagement coordinator.
“Last year, we did a drive-thru event due to COVID, but here we are loving having it between the two areas,” Quinn said. “It gets people out and walking around the area and enjoying the park.”
The event, hosted by the United Way of Weld County and sponsored by the Downtown Development Authority, Waste Management, Telemundo Denver and Comcast, featured a variety of vendors, activities, organizations and community resources. Parent Abby Hill said it was a fun time.
“It’s cool to see all the people who want to outreach and give back,” she said.
Bikers Against Child Abuse, or B.A.C.A, Twin Peaks Chapter was on-site with two shined-up motorcycles attendees could sit on and get photos taken. Members also helped place temporary tattoos on kids — and some adults — handed out coloring books and helped educate attendees at the event about the organization’s mission and purpose.
B.A.C.A. works to empower children through member’s physical presence and support. The organization has several chapters around the U.S. as well as in Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, Spain, Iceland and Italy. Members attend functions like the children’s festival to help raise awareness about child abuse.
Seva Community, Inc. returned for the festival for another year. The nonprofit helps support “early literacy of language development in children ages 0-6 years,” said Executive Director Terri Pappas.
“Our main goal is that kids learn best through meaningful activities with their adults,” she said. “We’ve been in existence since 2011, and I believe this is our eighth year.”
Kids of all ages could partake in a variety of activities including decorating frisbees, fishing in a kiddie pool, snacking on cotton candy and popcorn and visiting with members from the Greeley Fire and Police departments.
First-time attendees and friends Presley Hill and Lida Varner, both 11, walked away with bags filled with goodies.
“I got lots of really cool things that I will use, like stickers and pens and things I can decorate,” Presley said.
“I loved it because it is a cool experience to see all of these different people doing different stuff and giving away things,” Linda said.
For more information on the United Way of Weld County, go to www.unitedway-weld.org.
